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If you want to make your thumb a bit more green, grow plants in a raised planter or bed. It typically has better soil and better drainage. Also, weeds are usually less of a problem in a raised garden. Go ahead and give yourself one more gardening advantage. Incorporate several natural techniques to help keep the bugs out of your raised planter. Then, enjoy the fruits of your labor without pesky, harmful bugs eating it out from under you.

1

Incorporate 4 or 5 inches of compost, well-rotted manure, leaf mold or another organic matter into the topsoil to create a well-draining and fertile soil for your raised planter. Have your soil tested to test pH levels and to see if it lacks any essential nutrients so that you can add appropriate amendments to the soil. Healthy plants are less inviting to insects.

2

Grow companion plants in your raised bed to keep bugs out. Herbs and plants with a strong aroma, such as garlic and marigolds, often keep damaging bugs out of the garden. Some companion plants are better suited for certain pests. For example, sage works well to keep slugs and cabbage moths away, and mint works well to keep ants and aphids away.

3

Plant your garden so the plants are all mixed together rather than together in rows or groups. This forces bugs to travel searching for new preferred plants to feed on While on the search, they are more exposed to predators, such as birds and parasitic wasps.

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4

Grow plants that belong to a different family in your raised planters each year, especially if you are growing vegetables. After four years, you can grow the same plants again in the same location. This is called crop rotation. Insects that overwinter in the ground will have to search for food after they emerge in the spring. They will likely not survive the move.

5

Paint a piece of cardboard yellow and smear petroleum jelly on it to trap many bothersome pests. Alabama Cooperative Extension System also recommends laying pieces of cardboard around plant stems, carefully pressing into the soil until they are 1 inch deep. This will deter burrowing insects from getting into the soil. Other nearby traps, such as buried tuna cans filled with beer that capture slugs, will also keep bugs out of raised planters.

Things Needed

Organic matter

Spade, garden fork or tiller

Cardboard

Yellow paint

Petroleum jelly

Tuna can

Beer

Tips

Not all insects are bad for your garden. Purchase beneficial insects, such as lady bugs, that eat harmful bugs. You can also grow nectar plants, such as sweet alyssum, that attract beneficial insects. Mulch also encourages beneficial insects.

Resources

Photo Credits

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About the Author

Melissa Lewis is a former elementary classroom teacher and media specialist. She has also written for various online publications. Lewis holds a Bachelor of Arts in psychology from the University of Maryland Baltimore County.